One-Shot: The Pact
by WizMonCruWil
Summary: So this is based on some Romione tidbit facts I found on a website. One of them states that down in the Chamber of Secrets, Ron and Hermione made a pact that they'd survive the Battle together, or not at all. This is how that pact came about. References made to Once Upon a Time 4x09 - "Fall" - and the 2003 live-action version of Peter Pan starring Jeremy Sumpter.


**One-Shot: The Pact**

Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger stared at each other in bewilderment before laughing. They had just randomly kissed for the first time after escaping from the destruction of Voldemort's Cup Horcrux in the Chamber of Secrets. The sexual tension between them had broken at last.

The couple barely had time to savor their happiness when they felt wetness at their feet, The water that Voldemort's dying soul-piece had deluged them with was rising. The Chamber was flooding!

"Come on!" Ron roared. Ignoring the giddy feeling at having Hermione's hand in his own, the pair raced out of the Chamber and through the rocky passageway towards the chute that led to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. The roar of the water pounded in their ears. The tunnel shook. Rocks began to fall, and Ron shielded the falling debris from Hermione and himself with his wand.

However, when they reached the entrance to the chute, they saw their brooms destroyed by falling rocks!

Ron and Hermione looked back to see the water rushing towards them. Both tried to desperately levitate each other up the chute with magic, but it was too hard to concentrate for that long. Ron held Hermione close as the water engulfed them, and began to carry them up the chute. It didn't go nearly as quickly now, which Ron was thankful for…until he saw that the entrance to the Chamber was closed. They'd be crushed against the top and then drowned!

As the water approached the top of the chute, Ron and Hermione desperately tried to open the entrance with magic. It didn't work. Ron then tried Parsletongue, as he had done successfully to get them inside the Chamber, but he had lost the ability to pronounce the command correctly! _If only Harry were here…._

The water continued to rise, bringing them closer and closer to certain doom. Hermione was leaning into Ron's frame and crying, certain the end was near. But Ron was not giving up.

"Oh, come on. Come on!" he growled, trying to get the Parsletongue correct. All the while, he also tried to console Hermione.

She shifted against him, and stroked her hands across his chin, forcing him to look at her.

"I, Hermione Jean Granger, promise to love and cherish you…" she spoke through her tears. Ron recognized the phrase. It was a traditional wizard's wedding vow.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing?"

"Marrying you before we die," Hermione cried sadly.

Though Ron thought that was so romantic and wonderful of her, that she wanted to marry him after they had only kissed once, he shook his head.

"No!" He refused to give in.

"What?" Hermione sniffled.

"You don't get to marry me unless we get out of this," Ron told her with intense love. "OK? Now, just keep your chin up and breathe, ok?" He held her close.

They were almost to the top of the chute; they'd be crushed against the ceiling and drowned in a matter of minutes.

Suddenly, the closed top of the chute split apart as a chuck of stone crashed through it; the Battle of Hogwarts above was tearing the castle apart. Ron pulled Hermione out of the way and under as the stone chunk crashed into the water. The water now roared up faster through the opening, spitting Ron and Hermione out onto the floor of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Drenched once again, Ron found himself on top of Hermione. They were shocked, but alive!

Overjoyed, Ron pressed his lips down to hers. Hermione moaned in joy as she pulled him close against her.

When they broke apart, Ron helped his lover to her feet. "We've got to find Harry!"

"Wait!" said Hermione pulling him back. Ron thought she was going to kiss him again, but instead she spoke:

"Before we go out there, I want us to make a promise to one another."

"Love, while I'd still love to marry you, I don't think this is the best time…"

"I'm serious!" Hermione sighed. "I want you to promise me that we'll either survive the Battle together…or not at all. Everything or nothing. Because I don't think I could live without you, and I hope you feel the same way about me!"

Ron eyes filled with tears and he pulled her into a hug. "Of course I couldn't live without you!" He drew back to look into her eyes and gave her a chaste, tender kiss. "Yes. I promise we'll either survive together or not at all. And if one of us is killed, the other will commit suicide and follow. We'll be together for all eternity in this life or the next." He paused, and then grinned. "Either way, I think Harry would get along fine without us, anyhow."

Hermione gave a watery laugh and pulled him by the hand out of the bathroom.

* * *

The next morning, Voldemort stood triumphant in the courtyard of Hogwarts, Harry seemingly dead at his feet.

"You are all welcome to reclaim your bloodlines!" the Dark Lord called to his defiant enemies, the defenders of Hogwarts. "But, first I think a few examples should be made of people who dared to cross me…Let's have a Weasley first!"

Before anyone could fight back, Bellatrix Lestrange had leapt into the crowd, seized Ron and dragged him back towards Voldemort. Hermione tried to hold onto her lover, but to no avail. Voldemort noticed the small commotion and Death Eaters had soon seized Hermione too. Both were brought directly to Voldemort, standing next to Harry's body. Ron and Hermione couldn't bear to look at their dead friend.

"Ah," Voldemort purred. "It seems these are the friends who dared to help Harry Potter try and destroy me! How perfect! I know all about you two. Remember me, Ronald Weasley? 'I have seem your dreams, and I have seen your fears?'"

Hermione glanced at Ron, having no idea what Voldemort was talking about, only to find him shaking and tears in his eyes.

Voldemort struck Ron so that the boy fell to his knees.

"No! Stop it!" Hermione screamed, but her captors had her firm. Ron was now kneeling at Voldemort's feet, facing the Hogwarts defenders. Voldemort seized him by the hair.

"You will die alone," Voldemort hissed to Ron. "And unloved!" He twisted Ron's head, forcing the boy to look at Hermione. Hermione felt her heart break when she saw the fearful, defeated, hopeless despair now in Ron's eyes. She desperately wanted to look away and not see his pain, but her Death Eater guard wouldn't let her.

"Unloved!" the Death Eater whispered in her ear, forcing her to meet Ron's eyes.

Then, Voldemort struck Ron over the head. Ron fell in slow motion to the cobblestone.

"NOOO!" Hermione screeched. In this hell with time moving as slow as molasses, Voldemort gave a roar as he waved his wand over his head, ready to unleash the Killing Curse.

In that moment, Hermione had the strength to fight back.

She struck her captor with her elbow, breaking his nose and freeing herself. She seized Voldemort's wand arm, trying to wrest the wand away from the enemy, but Voldemort only laughed and threw her down to land beside Ron.

There was tumult now. The Death Eaters were jeering; Neville and Dumbledore's Army were yelling in protest and anger.

"SILENCE ALL!" Voldemort bellowed dramatically. "For Hermione's farewell…" He said the last softly, mockingly, and Hermione felt her blood run cold. It was as if he knew…did he know about her and Ron?

Trying to push these fears down, Hermione turned until she lay pressed against Ron's side. Her eyes were pleading with him to look at her, but he wouldn't. He was staring blankly up at Voldemort, waiting for death and now ambivalent about what happened to him.

"Ron," Hermione whispered sadly. "I'm sorry if he made you feel things that weren't true. I'm sorry I didn't admit my feelings sooner. But…this is yours…" Before she could do anything, though, Voldemort grabbed her and pulled her back to her feet. Eye-level with the Dark Lord, Hermione lied for the first time in her life, taking a gamble that he hoped she would win. She wouldn't tell Voldemort her intentions…not really.

"It's just a…teaspoon," she explained, thinking of the first thing that brought a happy memory of her and Ron.

Hermione's gamble paid off. Voldemort cocked his head like a small child; it was clear that, since he had disowned his own Muggle heritage and all things non-magic, he didn't even know what a teaspoon was. After a moment, he grinned with a mock politeness.

"By all means, my beauty," he hissed creepily, barely holding in laughter. "Give young master Weasley your precious teaspoon." He let her go.

Hermione turned back to Ron. With sad, loving eyes she bent over him and whispered in his ear, "This belongs to you…and always will." She held his face, before leaning down and planting a kiss on Ron's lips. It was tender, closed, chaste – not like the passionate first kiss they had shared in the Chamber. But, Hermione hoped it would give her love new purpose and life, even if that meant facing their deaths with dignity.

Voldemort's eyes narrowed curiously. Everyone else, meanwhile - Death Eaters and Hogwartsians alike – looked stunned. Hermione broke the kiss at last, drawing away softly.

"That was no teaspoon," George Weasley got out finally.

"That was a hidden kiss," Neville smirked, smug that Hermione had beaten the Dark Lord in a battle of wits.

And indeed, Hermione's objective had worked just as she hoped. Her kiss had breathed new life into Ronald Weasley, and, though blushing as red as his hair now, he got to his feet with determination.

"THE LITTLE TRICKSTER! KILL HER, MY LORD!" Bellatrix screeched. Ron instinctively pushed Hermione behind him, staring both the Dark Lord and his top lieutenant down.

"Over my dead body!" Ron growled.

Voldemort shrugged. "Alright. I'm flexible."

WHAM! A blur of flesh suddenly shot up; next second. Voldemort was holding a bleeding nose and staring in disbelief and rage at his unexpected attacker – Harry Potter, risen again!

Hermione and Ron let out shouts of laughter and joy at the return of their friend. Panic now ensued. Death Eaters began disappearing left and right; the Hogwartsians charged forward; Harry ran around to the far end of the courtyard, dodging Voldemort's relentless Killing Curses and screams of anger as he went.

Ron pulled Hermione into an empty corridor. Before she could say word, he swept her into his arms and kissed her until she wanted to faint. She was barely aware that she was joyously, desperately, kissing him back; and when they broke apart, her brain was so fuzzy that she almost forgot her own name.

"He was lying; I knew it, I knew that you loved me!" Ron cried triumphantly. "I have a reason to fight again!"

Hermione beamed at him with a brilliant smile. It was a smile Ron hoped he would look at for the rest of his life. "So do I."

And after another passionate kiss for luck, the couple ran back to the castle to finish what they had started. To live.


End file.
